1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a softside luggage bag having a reinforced cover defining the storage volume thereof and in which the cover is resistant to being sliced open by anyone attempting to steal or surreptitiously remove the contents of the luggage bag through such a sliced opening. Ads utilized herein, the term “luggage bag” is defined to include all forms of storage bags which are generally carried by the user, often during traveling, and utilized for temporarily retaining in the volume various articles and items and includes, but is not limited to, backpacks, suitcases, shoulder bags, Gladstone bags, duffle bags, purses, brief cases, computer or other electronic device cases, and the like.
2. Background of the Invention
The use of reinforcement such as a flexible wire mesh in the cover of flexible or softside luggage bags provides an increased level of security against theft, particularly that which achieved by some unauthorized person slicing open the bag and stealing the contents of the storage volume. The mesh can be held adjacent the fabric or other flexible material walls of the luggage bag for greatly enhanced security, while still retaining the advantages of traditional softside un-reinforced products. For luggage bags of this construction, it is convenient to have a fabric outer layer providing, if desired, a waterproof shell about the mesh layer. To prevent the bag's contents snagging, or being damaged by the wire mesh layer exposed on the inside, a liner, such as an inner fabric layer is used and the inner fabric layer is typically of relatively lighter material than the outer fabric layer.
The wire mesh layer may be formed in the shape of the bag from a single wire strand arrayed in a preselected pattern, or from separate sheets of the cover material which may be appropriately joined together to form the luggage bag and, if desired a frame may be included over which the cover is attached.
Fastenings may, if desired, join adjacent portions of the wire mesh, which is generally has as strand of wire in a sinusoidal pattern, with the strand extending generally longitudinally and being turned back upon itself to form closed loops at each of the opposing edges of the wire mesh layer. Due to the construction of the mesh bag or sheet of the cover in this manner, when the wire mesh layer is in a relaxed state the wire mesh ends to collapse, closing the open spaces between the strands.
In many of the prior art wire mesh reinforced luggage bags the reinforcing cover or separate reinforcing sheets from which the luggage bag was assembled, were a composite reinforced textile, comprising inner and outer fabric bags laminated together to enclose the reinforcing wire mesh layer, or two layers laminated together with the mesh layer held therebetween. Such cover structures often included multi layer arrangements including the wire mesh layer and the various layers may be bonded together to provide additional desirable features to the luggage bag.
Bonding the wire mesh layer to the fabric layers by lamination, while effective to retain the wire mesh layer in place avoids the problems resulting from the mesh separating from the outer fabric layer and the liner fabric layer due to the tendency of the mesh to collapse. However, the manufacture of laminated luggage bags or sheets of cover material has proven to be relatively costly.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above cost of lamination and the disadvantages inherent therein and, in general to provide an improved reinforced luggage bag in which the cover is a multi layer configuration providing an improved arrangement for securing the wire mesh layer to at least one of the fabric layers in the construction of softside luggage bags.